Bexar County officials have reported the arrests of two parents in connection with severe injuries sustained by their four-month-old child. According to FOX San Antonio, Sheriff Javier Salazar announced yesterday that Andrea Esmeralda Mena, 26, and Jacobo Jimenez Sanchez, 26, face serious charges stemming from an incident that left their infant hospitalized with a serious head injury.
The case came to light after the child was taken to the Children's Hospital of San Antonio for persistent vomiting on May 21. Initially, the family attributed the sickness to a stomach virus affecting all members of the household. However, the health situation escalated when the baby was brought back to the hospital eight days later with more alarming symptoms. This included a bulging fontanelle—a bulge on the soft spot of the child's head—and bulging eyes, coupled with lethargy and a lack of weight gain since the previous visit. "I didn’t hurt my children," Mena said before being taken into custody, as per a statement obtained by KSAT.
Subsequent to a CT scan revealing brain bleeding, the medical team concluded these symptoms to be indicative of a head injury. During the investigations, details emerged of prior domestic abuse allegations within the family home. Further inquiries led to a four-year-old sibling recounting an incident in which they reportedly saw Sanchez throw the younger child to the ground, resulting in blood coming from the infant’s head.
Responsibility for the investigation had transitioned from the San Antonio Police to the Bexar County Sheriff's Office after it was determined that the alleged crimes occurred in an unincorporated area of the county. Sanchez has been charged with Injury to a Child - Serious Bodily Injury, with Mena facing a count of Endangering a Child. Following their questioning by deputies, both parents were booked into the Bexar County Adult Detention Center, according to reports. The safety of the four children, including the injured infant, has been entrusted to Child Protective Services.
